I loved Literature but scored a D in school

Rcently, I became acquainted with Haruki Murakami. Not with him of course, but his books.

My Japanese friend bought me the first book, Norwegian Wood, as a birthday gift. J had mentioned to him that I enjoyed literature, so he thought it proper to introduce Japanese novels to me. I was skeptical at first – I mean I love Japanese culture and all, but Japanese literature? Japanese is a very poetic language, and one that is hard to learn and understand perfectly. I can only imagine what a translated novel would be like, broken and perhaps mistranslated. But I was wrong.

Norwegian Wood (the translated one) held the typical Japanese prose but was beautifully and closely magicked into English. It was difficult at first to get into the rhythm of the book, but after awhile, you get used to the slowness and the meanings underlying the polite language. The theme in this book was strong, love and death, and how they work mysteriously in different lives. I heard from my friend afterwards that his books are a hit with female readers. Well, it got me too.

I’m now on another book of his, A Wild Sheep Chase. It’s supposed to be a literary thriller (What? There’s such a term?) and the first few chapters look good. That’s me, and my infamous obsession for all things I enjoy.